Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1887-12-03
THE UNCONSCIOUS TENDEN-
ClES IN SOCIETY.
Production and Distribution on the
Largest Possible Scale-Trusts
and Pools -ReyOlutiOniZ.
ing the System-CO.
operation.
Ertract from Gronlnd's Latest Work,
"Cd ira, or DdntOn IN the French
RerOlMiOn.

The outcome of the present tran
sition state Drought about in France
by the Revolution) is, then, to be
new social order, corresponding to,
but on far higher plane than, the
Middle Ages. 1t will be social Or
der of system, unity, and with CO.
operation in a much higher form
than before. Are things around us
drifting towards such a social order?
We may, it seems to me, easily
enough discern two lines Of uncon-
scious tendencies in society around
us,-tendencies which, being the
workings of evolution, are not vol
untary, not by choice, but thorough
ly spontaneous, both Of them.
One is a movement by indipidua1s
of all classes, by wage-earners as well
as by capitalists.
The other is manifested by an in
creased activity on the part of socie-
ty in it's organized form; by the
State, in other words.
OF the movements by individuals,
the most significant is that towards
production on q larqe scale. BY
"productiagSs should also be under
stood transportation and commerce,
for they add value to the product,
Just as well as does the labor of the
operatives on raw materials. All
that is necessary here is to note this
tendency, for all admit that produc-
ton everywhere-the most trivial as
well as the most important-is being
concentrated in the hands of richer
and richer employers, Of larger and
larger corporations.
But there is one feature of this
concentration that deserves special
mention because it is novel, and as
yet, it seems, confined to the United
States, where the capitalist system Is
more unfettered than anywhere else.
1t is what is called the Trust. This
is monopoly in its most concentrated
form. Suppose the presidents of all
the incorporated companies in a
given branch of industry in the
whole country assembled, and one of
their number in whom they all have
perfect trust-hence the name-se-
iected to perform the function of a6-
solute manager, with power to deter
mine, autocratically y, how much each
company is to produce, and conse-
quently it's share in the proceeds,
and you have the "trust." 1t differs
from a ''pool' In this, that more of
the parties can withdraw. The in
dividuality which the law confers on
each company by the Act of Incor-
poration is merged in the ''trust, "
over which the State has not the least
control; indeed, the whole arrange
ment is kept as perfect a secret, as
far as the public is concerned, as
possible. Such a secret "trust" has
been in existence in the United
States for several years, and the pub
lie has been made to feel its tremen-
dous power; to wit, the Standard
Oil Company. This institution is
exactly such an absolute union of in
Vulnerable smaller Incorporated oil
companies. But lately, it is said,
the rubber industries of the country
came together short time ago in
New York City and formed similar
trust" 1t is further said that the
pork-packing industries and the cat
tle-ranches out West are contempla-
ting to do likewise. 1t is easy to
see, that, when these "trusts" be-
come general, they will revolution
ize our present system, for they mean
the destruction of competition,
which then will be utilized simply
to crush their weaker rivals, what
precisely the Standard Oil Company
has hpen doing. Some nf our news.